UCLA's Longevity Institute researchers find that a fasting diet could do miracles by not only aiding weight loss and increase anti-aging effects, but also cut your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Designed to mimic the results of a water-only fast, participants are required to consume between only 750 and 1,100 calories per day. The study reveals that this diet could reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease like blood pressure and inflammation, while increasing participants’ metabolism.
The study split the participant into two groups. The first were to continue their normal eating habits for three months, while the second group was required to limit their calorie intake to 1,100 calories at most for five days or one working week every month for three months. Results show the participants who followed the 'fasting-mimicking diet' had significantly improved their health.
According to the Bel Marra Health, the fasting diet did miracles on their overall physical health by lowering blood pressure, stabilizing their blood sugar levels, and improve cholesterol levels. In addition, most of them experienced a drop in their levels of IGF-1, a protein that fuels tumors, which in effect lower their cancer risk. The differences in the results are significant when compared to the other group who followed their normal eating pattern.
Although a fasting diet, a miracle also shows when volunteers were able to maintain their muscle mass, a typical adverse effect of fasting, while losing weight in total body fat and trunk fat, the Daily Mail reports. The diet is considered healthy by many experts, including Dr Valter Longo and colleagues who tested the effects of the fasting-mimicking diet on diabetes, heart disease, cancer or other conditions. The researchers say that the study provides clear evidence that people can experience significant health benefits when undergoing a periodic, fasting-mimicking diet that is designed to act on the aging process.
